Comments

lightswitch

Good to know that it is mandated by the state and is something that can not be completely taken out of the budget. I am serious thank you Edward 44 for that.

So hopefully the city reduced the number of sweeper operators when it received the reduction in wages, Insurances (health & life), and pensions (that are much more costly than probably the 100% put into a 401k plan and the amount paid into payroll tax deduction for social security and medicare. But more than likely they just moved the nutshells around in their proverbial shell game and rounded the staff number to 1,200 employees.

JJSully

Street sweeping was outsourced and I am sure if it was not cleaned that would be your complaint as well. If it had been a city worker you would not have had a complaint, they would have been asleep in the truck.

1Edray

The street sweeping was outsourced which wasn't a bad idea in theory. However IIRC, it wasn't any cheaper. The quality of the work has absolutely gotten worse. I regularly skate and cycle the bike lanes in SW Cape with a number of friends. We noticed a big difference once the switch was made. More debris is on the roads and they are less frequently swept. It has been better the past few months, but still not close to what it was before. Go back to the vac system. Private or public doesn't matter to me. Just do the job right.

bobbie

GEEZ!!! Is there no end to ignorance and an uncaring attitude toward our environment in some of these letter writers. Thank you Edward, NanaII and some others for helping to teach our citizens about caring for our city and our world.

NanaII

Edward 44 nailed it. This is a State mandated part of our storm-water management agreement. The "fine particulates" from motor vehicle exhaust must be routinely swept to prevent them from washing into the storm-water system and the canals, which could pollute surface waters.

CapeCoralCuestions

@ Laura: princess, you need to get a life. How very boring for you that you have nothing better to talk about than street sweeping! Not civil rights, poverty, ecology? yeah, uhuh. @litwich: you and your RAG-o-saurs tried and****near did RUIN this city. Now that the VOTERS elected the council of THEIR choice, your ego just can't stand it. Leest and Sully are soon to follow. The PEOPLE have spoken--would you pul-eaze put a cork in it!!

lightswitch

lightswitch

Works for me due to the fact that not much was being picked up by the vacuum. Plus one less city staff with many more paid holidays, higher wage and overtime, insurance and pension. Outsource was less and gave the company a profit to boot. Amazing...just amazing!

KirstenThompson

Street sweeping is unnecessary? One only needs to look at the difference between a city that performs routine street sweeping and one that does not to appreciate why it is done. For example, have you ever been to downtown Portland, OR? The streets are so clean you can almost eat off them. It sure makes a good impression on visitors and businesses considering setting up in their city and the taxpayers can visibly see how their money is being used. I'll take clean streets any day over garbage strewn streets.

Edward44

The street sweeping is mandated by the State to keep pollutants from washing into the canals and the river. The unit you saw is a "contract outsource" company that got put in place during the last administration. When it was done by city equipment and staff, they used a vac system and followed a pattern route. Sweep trucks were cheaper, you get what you pay for.